Emotional Well-being

Good emotional and mental health is important for everybody. This is especially important for people living with HIV, as stress, anxiety and depression can negatively affect the immune system and the ability to adhere to anti-retroviral medication.

Below are some common mental health problems that people experience:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Stress
• Anger
• Internalised Homophobia

Sometimes it is not easy to pinpoint a particular event that has contributed to emotional distress.

How to improve your emotional well-being

Look after yourself / Be kind to yourself

• Get a good night’s sleep. Try to establish a routine where you go to bed at roughly the same time every night and wake at the same time in the morning. Before going to bed try not to do anything that is too mentally or physically stimulating.

• Learn to relax. You can listen to relaxation and meditation tapes that will teach you how to breathe properly and de-stress the mind and body.

• Do regular exercise that you find enjoyable. Exercise releases happy or ‘feel good’ hormones, called endorphins, which will make help to improve your mood and give you more energy.

• Eat enough of the right stuff. Try and have a balanced diet but allow yourself some treats from time to time. If you would like some advice and information about how to improve your diet your HIV doctor can refer you to see the dietician. Eating the right foods is beneficial for both your physical and mental health.

• Alcohol and recreational drug use can negatively affect your physical and mental well-being. Try to find some balance and be moderate. If you would like to access specialist help to better manage and reduce your alcohol or drug intake then you can self-refer to your local drug and alcohol service. Your GP, HIV doctor or organisations, such as Positive East or THT can also give you details of local services in your area.

• Try and tackle relationship, housing, financial or work problems as they arise. Ignoring them can makes things worse later on.

• Try to resist staying at home or staying in bed all day unless you need to rest after physical illness. Set small and manageable goals for yourself and be as active as possible. Do things that give you pleasure and enjoyment.

• Don’t judge yourself too harshly. Celebrate and acknowledge your achievements and don’t punish yourself for your mistakes. We all make mistakes and we can learn from them, forgive ourselves and move forward.

• Get support from friends, family and partners. Share your concerns and worries.

• If you feel that things are building up and getting too much to cope with. Tell someone and ask for help from family, friends or your doctor. There will be someone who can help you.

Therapy or Counselling

We all have individual strategies to cope with emotional stress and distress, like talking to family, friends and partners, taking a holiday, doing more exercise, setting ourselves goals. However, it can sometimes be useful to talk through your problems in confidence with a neutral and objective person like a therapist, counsellor or psychologist.

When people are physically unwell they see a health professional to assess and try to find ways of treating or managing the problem. When people are experiencing emotional and psychological problems it can be beneficial to see a health professional that specialises in helping people with those issues.

Seeing a therapist can be, for some, a frightening experience. Many feel ashamed for seeking help and see it as a sign of weakness. But it takes strength and courage to take steps to face your problems and work towards a solution. Ignoring the problem can make things worse. Your emotional health is just as important as your physical health and with the right support things can improve.

If you decide to see a therapist or counsellor he/she will help you to explore the different thoughts, feelings and behaviours that you may be experiencing. Improving how you feel and or changing behaviour is a process that requires active work between the worker and the person seeking change.

Where can I get support?
Positive East offers a counselling and psychotherapy confidential service for people living with or recieving clinical care across East London.

If you would like to find out more about the service, or discuss your issues with our Mental Health worker, either telephone Jim Jewers on 020 7791 2855, or email cp@positiveeast.org.uk

There are also a number of telephone helplines, which can provide information and support. Please see list below.

If you would like to seek professional support then you can be referred via your GP or HIV clinic. You can also access support from voluntary organisations listed below.

Counselling services for those affected by HIV

Positive East - Telephone 020 7791 2855
email: cp@positiveeast.org.uk

Terrence Higgins Trust (THT Direct)
Tel: 0845 12 21 200

Services for the general gay population

PACE
Tel: 020 7700 1323

Healthy Gay Living Counselling @ HGLC
Tel: 020 7407 3550

Pink Therapy
Tel: 020 7291 4480

Telephone Helplines

Signpost - Positive East confidential helpline
Tuesday and Thursday 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Tel: 020 7790 5795

MIND - Mental health charity
Tel: 0845 766 0163

SANELINE - Mental health charity
Tel: 0845 767 8000

Samaritans - Emotional support 24hr helpline
Tel: 08457 90 90 90